Charlotte Brontes Jane Eyre :: Charlotte Bronte Jane Eyre Essays

Charlotte Brontes Jane EyreThere was no possibility of taking a walk that day....I was glad ofit I never liked long walks, peculiarly on chilly afternoonsdreadful to me was the coming home in the sore twilight, with nippedfingers and toes, and a heart saddened by the chidings of Bessie, thenurse, and humbled by the consciousness of my tangible inferiority toEliza, stern, and Georgiana Reed.So goes the opening to the saucy Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. Weare straight brought into the story the scene has been set andfeelings exposed. As can be seen in this quotation, Bronte creates avery friendly, easy opening, attempting to make an intimaterelationship with the reader. The characters almost personal feelingsare openly displayed, this being very uncommon in 19th century novels.In Jane Eyre Bronte writes in the first person, giving the novel amore autobiographical feel. These paragraphs also give us an illustrationof pathetic fallacy, a technique repeatedly used by Bronte with outthe earlier chapters of Jane Eyre. In addition to this we are shownJanes dislike, as a pincer and adult, of the Reed children and herposition and inadequacy in the Reed household Gateshead.The portraiture of life with the Reed family and Janes whole childhood,is one both cruel and fascinating. Bronte, through Janes eyes andthoughts, manages to convey life and the world from a childsperspective, while serene maintaining an adults way of thinking. Janeis very perceptive and intelligent, and this shown when she is facedwith John Reed. Her fear of him is right off appears when heinterrupts her peace while she is reading, and she states how shetrembled at the idea of being dragged forwards by him. As the readers,we are shown how she must have been treated in such a way that she hasbecome fearful of her own cousins. Moreover, when John tells Jane torefer to him as Master, we are shown how socially inferior andinsignificant she is to them, and is eer being reminded ofthis. Right fr om the beginning of the novel Janes sense of lonelinessand isolation is evident form the way she hides herself behind thickcurtains in a deserted room, neglected by her cousins and aunt. Thedescription of John Reed assumption to us by Jane is extremely visual anddetailed and we are shown that, although of a young age, Jane is verysensitive, alert and prudent of people and the world nigh her.Mrs Reed, while remaining a minor character, becomes one of the most potent people in Jane Eyres life, although still not